On my own
by The Spatula Chick
Summary: Kind of an AU with Shippo (a grown, handsome, formidable fox demon) as the protagonist, he is on a journey to return a peice of the shikon to kagome with Miroku II, but now there is this strange half demon girl bothering them....
1. A demon and a little monk

A/N: Sigh. Here is my first Inuyasha fic. I know I shouldn't post it because I will have like no time to update soon, but I will try to make it weekly. (as in once a weekend) ^^ For some background on me, I mostly have Fushigi Yugi fics, but have always been a fan of Rumiko Takahashi. I love Ranma and Maison Ikkoku (ahh I cannot remember how to spell it) and now I love Inuyasha also! Oh, and if things seem confusing, that is because I have no cable, and my only source of Inuyasha is the Viz English comics. ^^ So if I spell something weirdly, its probably because that is how it is in the comics. Also, they have only printed the first 12 graphic novels so I had to make up the rest of it. Just pretend it is an alternate universe that takes place after the series. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, sorry to say.  
  
Part One: A fox demon and a little monk  
  
"Shippo!" a voice called. "Shippo!?" It was a feminine voice, pretty, soft, and far away. Shippo turned towards it, searching his memory for who it belonged to. He strained his ears, wondering at the likeness to someone close to him, someone from his childhood.  
  
"SHIPPO!" The fox demon sat up fast, falling from the limb of the tree he had been sleeping on. He hit the ground with a splat, and then jumped to his feet to confront the person who had woken him up.  
  
"I told you not to sleep in the trees! What if we were attacked while you slept and you couldn't hear us?" the speaker was a boy, about 14 years old. He frowned deeply, but there was a grin in there somewhere.  
  
"Why'd you wake me?" Shippo demanded. He stood up to his full height of five feet nine inches and glared down at the boy. He had grown considerably over the past years, into a tall gangly demon with formidable powers. Currently he was hired out to take a band of monks from the mountain to their shrine in the village a few days away. They were mostly old men; incapable of fending for themselves, but one was a young lad who had been taken in by them as a child. Something about him made Shippo tolerate him more than he might have otherwise. He too had been looked after by friends when orphaned. They were two of a kind.  
  
"Listen kid, I'm a demon. Full blooded fox demon at that. I can handle anything that would want to attack you and your old band of monks. Just cause I sleep in the trees doesn't mean I'm not watching out for you." The boy glared back. The demon the monks had asked to protect them was no more than a youth, tall, skinny, and red-haired. The only thing that convinced anyone that he was indeed a demon was the pointed ears and fox feet and tail. But none of those features gave him a shred of evidence of power. It was a gamble that the old monks were willing to take. A young fox demon for protection was better than none at all. The only one with any opinion about it whatsoever was the young boy. He didn't like demons at all.  
  
"I hate demons." He told Shippo.  
  
"Me too." Shippo said. He smiled at the boy, yawned, and began climbing back up the tree to finish his nap.  
  
Later on, they were traveling together, Shippo in the lead, the lad a few paces behind, and the old men slowly taking up the rear, when there was a loud growl a few meters away, to the right. Shippo slowed to a stop, hushing the others. They crowded to a halt, looking around uneasily.  
  
"YAAAAAAHHHH!!!" a shriek filled their ears, sending the humans into a wild panic. They seemed to have forgotten that they had hired Shippo at all. The fox demon, however, was standing quite still and calm, his green eyes glaring at the source of the loud shriek and his ears twitching.  
  
Suddenly he snapped into motion, speeding into the source of the sound and jumping gracefully over some shrubbery. The enemy demon revealed itself with another ground shaking yell and burst into action trying to take down the young fox.  
  
It was a type of centipede demon, human headed and after something particular. This sort didn't belong on a deserted path in the mountains.  
  
"FOXFIRE!" Shippo forced it to eat green fire, surveying it's massive legged self and taking time to yell directions to his charges.  
  
"Get in a group so I can defend you easier! Stay back and if I go down, run for it!" The old men huddled together, but the boy stayed in the front, eyes wide with awe and fear. The centipede saw him and drew back to strike.  
  
"After me centipede butt!" Shippo yelled in attempt to remove its attention from the boy. It failed, and before he could move the centipede had the human in its grasping upper legs.  
  
"Yoouuu haaaveee itttt." The demon was not one of speech, but managed to utter those words.  
  
"AAUUUGGHH!" Shippo used claws to slash at the centipede's back, causing it to loosen its grip on the boy.  
  
"Help me!" the boy said, dangling from the grasp of the centipede. Shippo growled and launched another attack.  
  
"Leaves of death!" he yelled. There was a bright flash as the leaves surrounded the surprised enemy, then a boom, as each individual leaf exploded into a mini demon-expulsing burst.  
  
Shippo stood, regaining his breath, and set the boy down in front of him. He had grabbed him from harms way as he released the leaves of death. There was a tense moment and a two-way glare.  
  
"What do you have that that demon wanted?" He asked frankly. The boy stared wide-eyed, and didn't answer.  
  
"WELL?!" he asked.  
  
"Please sir, do not punish the lad. He knows not what he carries." The speaker was an old man, a monk, with white hair and wrinkles around his eyes. Shippo tilted his head at him, and then shot the lad a glare.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes, he carries with him a jewel of great power. We did not tell you because we believed you might steal it from us."  
  
"What makes you think I won't anyway?"  
  
"You are a kind lad."  
  
"What!?" Shippo grabbed the kid by the back of the shirt and held him above the ground. "Let me see this jewel of great power!" he shook the boy, and then noticed that around his neck was half of rosy pink crystal. "No way." Shippo snatched the jewel and let the boy fall to the ground with a plop.  
  
"Hey give that back!" the boy jumped up and tried to grab it back, but was too short. Shippo fended him off easily.  
  
"You have seen this then before sir?" the monk asked. Shippo stared at the jewel in wonder.  
  
"Yes, but not in a long time.not since I was but a kit." The boy glared at Shippo with a new loathing, not the grin filled glare of youth, but a vengeful hatred.  
  
"That's mine give it back!" Shippo didn't answer, but stared at the jewel. The last time he had seen it was when Kagome left for her time with Inuyasha so many years ago. But she had only left with half of the jewel. The only obvious conclusion was that this was the other half of the legendary Shikon jewel, and that it must be returned to Kagome.  
  
"Listen kid, monks. This jewel is very dangerous, and very powerful. I know a priestess who can purify this and will take it too her free of charge if you wish." Shippo felt too many years with Miroku showing through in this bribe, but it was too important to use any other method. The boy jumped from the ground, angered.  
  
"No way you demon! I would never let you have that! It belonged to my father, a very noble monk!"  
  
"Well then, I'm sure he'd approve of me taking it back to the priestess." The old monk nodded.  
  
"So be it, young sir. I feel only good intentions from you. But in return I must ask of you one thing."  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Please take this young boy Miroku II with you on your journey."  
  
****  
  
"Why the hell did I ever agree to take YOU with me to find the priestess." Shippo wondered aloud, trying to get some reaction out of his new companion. Miroku II grumbled, stared at the ground, and tried to ignore the demon. It was common knowledge that demons were evil, traitorous, and sly. This one was bound to be no different. Besides, the monks had no right to send him off like this, at least one of them was certainly glad to be rid of him and that jewel.  
  
"What was your father's name?" Shippo asked. The likeness between Miroku II and the Miroku that he knew was.stunning. After a few calculations he decided that this boy was indeed young enough to be related to Miroku.  
  
"Why would I tell you?" the boy said. Shippo was indignant.  
  
"Well we are on a journey together, you could at least be polite. Want me to tell you about my family?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Alright then, my parents were as you know, full blooded fox demons. They took care of me when I was a kit, but they died early on. This priestess girl that we're going to find, she helped to raise me after my father was killed by some demons. They were after this very jewel that you so pride yourself in keeping. My mother was killed for the same reason, by humans."  
  
"So you hate demons now? Or humans?" Shippo smiled at his ability to get the boy's attention.  
  
"Neither actually. I know now that everyone, demon or human, deserve a chance to prove their selves as good or evil. Your turn. Tell me how you ended up with a bunch of old monks?"  
  
The boy furrowed his brow, staring at the ground. What good was there in telling a demon about his past? It wasn't like they would ever get along. But then he looked up at Shippo and saw a sincerely curious look in his eyes, like someone who cared more about him than just what obligatory duty required.  
  
"I.well my father was a noble monk, but I didn't know him well. He died when I was small, and deposited me in the care of these monks. They seemed to owe him some sort of favor, and so they cared for me. I hated it there. My mother, I really didn't know her either. I remember that she was strong... The monks told me a demon killed her, and that my father went to slay that demon, and that he died trying to avenger her. That's why I hate demons."  
  
"What about the jewel?" Shippo asked. The boy looked at him, surprised.  
  
"What about it?"  
  
"Do you know where it comes from?"  
  
"My father gave it to me to protect. He killed a great demon to get this, that's all I know."  
  
"Well I'll tell you the real origin." and he did. He told the lad about how it was formed from the souls of the demon and the priestess not far from a certain village, how they still battled inside this jewel, this crystallized soul, and whoever possessed it determined the nature, good or evil, of the jewel.  
  
The lad listened intently to the story, not interrupting until the very end. "How did it get split in half?" he asked. Shippo sighed, and looked up at the clear blue sky. It was split when the reincarnation of a great priestess shot an arrow at it. Into many shards, that Shippo himself helped gather up. And then it was whole, after a great battle, and then, before them was another great battle and it was split again, but only in half. The priestess was gone though, and the whereabouts of both the shard and the priestess , Kagome, were unknown.until now, He thought. But Shippo was silent. He didn't quite feel like explaining the details of that story just yet.  
  
"I don't know." He said. A white lie. A kind lie. A selfish, horrible lie. They walked along in silence for a while, until it got dark, then they stopped for the night.  
  
****  
  
"Can you sleep on the ground tonight?"  
  
"Scared?"  
  
"No!" Shippo grinned. "Sure I will. But are you sure you want me to? I thought you hated demons?"  
  
"I do. But.some of them aren't so bad.I guess." He gave Shippo a mock glare. Shippo laughed. It had been a long time since he had company like this, innocent company that didn't wish anyone dead, or alive. He was certain by now that this young boy was Miroku's son. He found himself thinking that he was indeed talking to a younger, more innocent version of the monk himself.  
  
At camp, the fire, lit of foxfire, was under careful observation by Shippo late into the night. Miroku slept soundly on Shippo's vest and coat. The fox demon persuaded him that demons didn't need a shirt to sleep. His hair was short and dark, his cloak dark violet; the lad had no staff or weapon, but he clutched the jewel tightly in one fist. Shippo sighed. So Miroku was dead, and certainly Sango must be the woman who was killed by 'a powerful demon'. Miroku's description of her as 'strong' was a likely clue. And who else could have kept hold of such a powerful jewel for so long? Only a boy with powers like Miroku's and Sango's.  
  
Then there was Kagome. Shippo remembered her and Inuyasha with sharp detail. They were practically his foster parents, after all. But the location of the well.now that was a mystery. It seemed that Shippo blocked that small fact from his memory after that last great battle and that last sad goodbye. The only other person who might have known, the lady Kaede, was dead ten years ago. And even Miroku and Sango were dead. It seemed he was the only one left of that old band of jewel hunting travelers. Except.this boy, that is. Shippo again glanced at his sleeping form, wondering how much of today's story was truth. Having known Miroku for so long, he doubted that that was everything the boy knew of his parents or the jewel. Time would tell.  
  
Shippo leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. For a moment he considered killing the boy and taking the jewel to Kagome by himself.but only for a moment. He didn't want any angry demon exterminator or monk souls after him. Besides, it wasn't like Shippo could bring himself to break a promise.  
  
****  
  
Author: please review and tell me what you think! ^^ Thanks! 


	2. A demon, a little monk, and a half demon

A/N: Well here I am again. I was pleasantly surprised at the positive response, thanks a lot to all of you who did review! ^^ First to answer some questions: I would put in Rin, if I knew who that was. ^^ The graphic novels left off in the series right as Naraku was about to push Inuyasha into that huge pit of demons battling or something. I did some research online so I know a little about her, but I don't know how Takahashi would write her well enough to include her in this fic. I know that Miroku II is a bit redundant. I did it so that you would all obviously relate him to the original Miroku. And don't worry; they won't call him that all the time. He thinks it is annoying anyway. It was just a bit of a joke. ^^  
  
Disclaimer: don't own it, don't sue me  
  
Part Two: a fox demon, a little monk, and a half demon  
  
Shippo and his companion had been traveling for a few days now, and had finally come to a village. It is common knowledge that too many days without a bath will leave fox demons and little human boys with a sort of a wet dog smell, of which Shippo was beginning to become vaguely aware. He decided that both of them deserved at least one night in a fancy inn, so he ventured up to the nearest one, Miroku II tagging along happily.  
  
The lobby of the inn quieted as the two entered. All eyes stared at the demon boy, who smiled pleasantly and waved.  
  
"Hello," he said to the man behind the desk. Miroku stayed close, wary of the unpleasant glances that greeted them. It was a wonder that Shippo could be so calm, then he remembered how easily he had taken on that centipede demon. These humans were no threat to such a powerful creature.  
  
"I'd like a room with two beds and a hot bath." The man grunted.  
  
"Why does a demon need such commodities? Get to your own kind!" Shippo looked indignant.  
  
"I don't need such commodities, actually, but my young companion does. He is human." Shippo replied. The man clenched his fists and glared.  
  
"Have ye money?" he asked.  
  
"How much will it cost?"  
  
"Twenty rupees."  
  
"The sign says ten."  
  
"You be a demon! I don't need to serve such filth." The man muttered a few warding curses, but Shippo was ahead of him. He jumped up onto the desk and looked around at the rest of the people in the inn's lobby.  
  
"Are all of you afraid of demons?" he asked. The people shuddered and turned their backs to him. A greenish aura began to surround the fox demon. "It's rude to ignore a person." He said quietly. Miroku saw that the look on his face had changed from friendly to menacing.  
  
"You be's no person! You be's a demon!" the man behind the desk was bolder than the other people.  
  
"Oh? What if I were to say that I am the only real person in here, and you are but a mere, helpless, easily destroyed human? What then?"  
  
"Away with the demon!" a person yelled from a table.  
  
"Yes! Away with the both of them!" another added. The man behind the desk was smug. Shippo jumped down and grabbed him by the collar. All eyes were on them.  
  
"I don't care if you insult me, because, as I said you are a weak, pathetic, easily exterminated human. But do not insult my friends."  
  
With a roar, he threw the man over the desk and into the crowd of onlookers.  
  
"Hear me! I am the fox demon Shippo! I do not kill humans; it goes against my morals. But I have no reservations in turning them into money- less beggars." With a smile, he clasped his hands and then revealed a handful of leaves.  
  
"Leaves of destruction!" he yelled, throwing them up into the air. They immediately filled the entire place, and then slowly faded away, and the entire inn faded with it. Shippo smiled at the astounded humans, motioned for Miroku to follow him, and left.  
  
"Shippo! Why did you do that!?" Miroku asked. Shippo shrugged.  
  
"It came over me. Besides, I didn't actually destroy it." Miroku looked up, astounded.  
  
"But it-"  
  
"It disappeared? Yes, but it was an illusion. Did you notice how I still used the exit where the door actually was? It'll reappear in a few days."  
  
Miroku didn't know what to say. Maybe Shippo wasn't such a bad demon after all? It may have been his imagination, but it seemed that what made him really mad was when they insulted him, the human. Was Shippo.defending him? He looked up to see that he was humming a little tune as he walked, hands in pockets. So cheerful, it was strange that he was indeed a demon. If he didn't have a tail and fox feet and small pointed ears, he might have been a human. They traveled onward, still without a bath.  
  
****  
"Shippo, when are we going to meet this priestess?" Miroku was tired of walking and sleeping out in the open. When Shippo said he was on a quest, he thought it meant a week tops. It had been five days (still no baths) and they hadn't even come across a single clue to her whereabouts. Miroku assumed that Shippo was leading them to her as they walked, and that she simply lived far away.  
  
"Hmmm. Depends if I can find that blasted flea."  
  
"Wait, you mean, we aren't headed towards her!?"  
  
"Nope. I dunno where she is. Gotta find that flea. He'll know."  
  
"Ooooh." Miroku groaned and dragged his feet. "I'm hungry and tired Shippo, can we rest now?"  
  
"Nope. Gotta find the flea." Miroku looked at the demon incredulously. What kind of a flea could find a priestess?  
  
"I don't like fleas." He muttered. Shippo laughed.  
  
"This flea only likes to bite demons. His name is Myoga. Well, maybe he bites humans, I forget. But he knows how to find Kagome. She doesn't live in this world though."  
  
"What!?" Miroku exclaimed. "I never agreed to go to another world when you took me on this journey!"  
  
"Well, I know some reasons you may want to see this girl besides to give her the jewel. Think about it. If she has one half of the jewel, and your father had the other half, she may have known him, or at least what happened to him." Shippo said.  
  
"Father! Oh! You have to take me to her Shippo." Miroku looked quite serious in this request, as if Shippo was some sort of train with only one more seat left.  
  
"What did I say? I was trying to convince you to go!"  
  
As they argued about who would convince who, they came across a crowd of people who seemed to be throwing rocks at something. Shippo and Miroku pushed their way to the front of the crowd, trying to see what was the matter.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" Shippo asked the person beside him.  
  
"We need to kill this abomination!" he yelled. Shippo flinched at the sound in such close proximity to his ears, but not before he heard the rest of the crowd shouting.  
  
"Halfling!"  
  
"Filth!"  
  
"Demon child!"  
  
"Tainted blood!"  
  
At that, Shippo lowered his hands and stepped in front of the line of humans. They didn't follow him, seeming to not want to get closer to their aim. His eyes widened at the sight of the target. It was a girl, and she was tied to a tree. Rocks struck the tree near her, and a few hit her flesh. One scraped across her face, causing her to look up and yell in pain.  
  
"What the hell is this?" Shippo turned and looked at the crowd. They quieted and backed away.  
  
"I asked you a question." He said. The demon reached out and grabbed the collar of the nearest human.  
  
"Now tell me why you torment this girl." The man shuddered in fear.  
  
"This thing were raiding the village every day, we don't give it food cause it ain't one of us.its some half demon creature." Shippo dropped the man to the ground.  
  
"One of the most noble people I know was a half demon." He said venomously. The crowd was silent now, his words echoing in the still air. The girl on the tree whimpered softly, and Miroku rushed to her.  
  
"If I ever see you tormenting any creature ever again.I will kill every last one of you. Human, demon, or anything else." He spat on the ground and gave an impression of immense power, glaring around at them in contempt.  
  
"Leave here now. I don't need to talk to such creatures as you who don't respect life in it's strangest of forms."  
  
The crowd, released of Shippo's spellbound gaze, scattered hurriedly into the woods. He saw one little girl, held by her mother's hand, who stared at him wide eyed with fear. He smiled at her, and she gasped, before being ushered away by her mother.  
  
Shippo shook his head to clear it of spells and walked over to where Miroku was untying the girl from the tree. She slumped to the ground, too weak to stand on her own.  
  
"What do we do with her?" Miroku asked worriedly. He was certain that Shippo wouldn't just leave her here.  
  
"I'll carry her to a village, and this time we will stay in an inn." He smiled, and picked up the girl easily, shifting her around until she clung/laid on him piggyback. What they could see of her eyes were golden and slitted, weary and sad. They closed slowly, and she was unconscious.  
  
"What kind of a demon is she?" Miroku asked, eyeing her curiously. She was very pretty, whatever she was. Her hair was long and pale blue, her body slim and fit.  
  
"I don't know," Shippo commented honestly. He was wondering the same thing himself.  
  
****  
Author: I know this one was short, but please tell me what you think so far! ^^ 


	3. Secrets and Stories

A/N: Hello again, and welcome to Spring Break. Yes, that means no school, and since I have no money, that also means lots of time at the computer, and that means more than just a weekly update. ^^ I will still be kind of busy though, my school is doing a multicultural fair and my anime club volunteered to do a booth on Japan and I am doing a Judo demo that I need to practice for. And Tuesday I am cutting off all of my long auburn curls to send it to the locks of love! I was going to cut it anyway, but my friends were like "noooooooo!" so I decided that if I donate it then they can't be so mad at me! ^^ hehehe. Anyway, you are in for a surprise now, so please review and tell me what you think!  
  
Part three: Secrets and Stories  
  
They stopped for the night in a fancy inn (no trouble getting a room this time) and settled down. The strange girl was sleeping on the bed, and Miroku was taking a bath. He hummed as he scrubbed, playing with the splashy bubbles. Shippo watched in amusement, but most of his focus was on the half demon.  
  
"Miroku, do you know anything about healing salves?" he asked  
  
"Nope." Miroku continued playing with the bubbles, oblivious to any worries. Shippo sighed. Twelve year olds could do that.  
  
He gently rubbed her face with a wet cloth, cleaning the wound on her cheek. He would have checked for other injuries, but somehow got all shy all of a sudden. She looked like the sort who might slap him for something like that. He did check her for sign of what kind of demon she was, looking through her hair for pointed ears or something.  
  
There, where normally there were human ears, were the small pointed ones like what Shippo had. And there, in her mouth, fangs. Another sign of demonic heritage. Shippo inspected her hands, finding long nails, not quite claws though.still no hints. Then Shippo noticed that where the slash was on her cheek, were two pale pink stripes. He rubbed lightly with the cloth and they became darker, as if some sort of make up had concealed them. He rubbed the other cheek to the same effect, two blood red stripes.  
  
The only demon that Shippo had seen was Sesshomaru. Curious, he began rubbing her forehead, looking for any trace of a blue crescent moon.  
  
"Aaugh!" The girl sat up with a shriek, throwing Shippo away from her, and crouching to spring. Miroku paused in his scrubbing and peered at her over the rim of the tub. Shippo approached her calmly.  
  
"Listen, we won't hurt you. My name is Shippo, and that there is Miroku. We brought you here to tend your wounds and to help you." The girl raised her head and stared, a cold golden eyed stare. She breathed in and sat back down on the bed, facing them.  
  
"Thank you." She said. Her stare softened a bit, but was still wary and unwelcoming. Shippo grinned.  
  
"So, are you a half demon?" he asked. The girl looked him over as if noticing his tail and feet for the first time.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And your name?"  
  
"."  
  
Shippo nodded. "Alright, be that way. But I know more about you than you think."  
  
"Oh?" the girl smiled now, for the first time. Shippo relaxed a bit, and approached her.  
  
"Yes. I knew your father, and his brother." The girl slapped him across the face. "What the...?" Shippo clutched his cheek. Miroku giggled.  
  
"My father abandoned me to those tormentors. I want nothing to do with him, or anyone acquainted with him." Shippo nodded.  
  
"Never said he was a friend. I fought against him many times, with his half brother. There was a good guy."  
  
Miroku laughed. "What are you talking about Shippo, I never knew you knew any half demons."  
  
"Yeah, and you've known me for about a whole week." He said, turning back to the girl. "Ignore him, he's just a monk."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
The girl laughed at Miroku's indignation. It was a nice laugh, not mean at all. This caused Miroku to be even more offended.  
  
"I'm sorry demon, but I haven't many fond memories of my father." She sighed. "Thank you for helping me, my name is Sasuke."  
  
"Nice to meet you. I told you, my name is Shippo."  
  
"And I am Miroku II." Miroku added. He was still in the tub.  
  
"Miroku, go get dressed," Shippo added, throwing him a towel. The boy wrapped himself and ran off to the next room.  
  
"Sasuke, would you mind telling me why you cover your face markings?" Shippo asked. He was very curious as to why a half demon would conceal such powerful parentage. The girl frowned deeply, obviously remembering things that she didn't like.  
  
"My father is the reason. He is hated by so many humans, that I feared they would associate me with him if they saw." She touched her forehead gently, and added, in a whisper, "He would be angry if he knew."  
  
Shippo nodded. There was more to it than that, surely, but he didn't wish to pry too much yet. One thing was certain; she would be a great help to their quest for the priestess. Assuming, of course, that she wasn't like her father.  
  
****  
  
She was a lot like her father.  
  
The next morning, when Miroku awoke from his place on the floor, she was gone, and so was the jewel half.  
  
"AHHHHHHH SHIPPO SHE TOOK IT!!!" Miroku screamed in the fox demon's sensitive ears, waking him with a start.  
  
"Took what? Who?" Shippo sat up and glanced around the room. The bed was made, light blue covers folded neatly, and there wasn't a trace of the half demon to be found anywhere.  
  
"That girl took my jewel! I need it! It was my dad's!" Miroku looked like he was about to burst into tears, but Shippo shushed him.  
  
"Don't worry, I can track her. She can't be too far away with her wounds either. Even half demons can't heal that quick."  
  
Miroku looked up at Shippo and nodded, all of his faith in the strange older boy that he had known for little more than a week. If Shippo said they could track her, then they would.  
  
Shippo, on the other hand, was not nearly so optimistic. It was likely that Sasuke was indeed working with her father to get the jewel. If not to make her fully demon, then to make her father more powerful. Sesshomaru was not one to be trusted with something like that.  
  
"Alright Miroku, get your stuff together, so we can go. We don't have much time."  
  
****  
  
Sasuke clutched the jewel in her hands and smiled, feeling the warm, pure power on her face. She did not want to corrupt it in any way before she absolutely had to, and forced herself to feel sorry about the theft. Those boys were too nice for her to fully carry out the plan. Sesshomaru had ordered her to kill them both, but Sasuke was not only too wounded to take on the sharp young fox demon, but she couldn't understand her father's motives at all. He seemed like he really wanted to help her.  
  
She shrugged, tossing the jewel into the air and catching it in her shirt. Her father would understand. He'd always been lenient to his only daughter, half human or not. Besides, she would soon be one like him. It was all she had ever wanted.  
  
Sasuke was walking at quite a leisurely pace toward the castle where her father lived. It was a few days walk, but at night she would speed away on the wind if the weather permitted, and if it happened to not permit, she would work a spell to make it obey her. She wasn't dressed for travel, torn white dress , dainty leather boots, and the markings on her face fully visible, but it really didn't matter. No one would bother her.  
  
But someone did.  
  
"You there, girl!" a voice called out.  
  
Sasuke swore and turned quickly. It was impossible that the fox demon had caught up to her already. But there he was!  
  
"What do you want with me?" she asked. Sasuke clasped her hands and drew them to her chest. She smiled when the fox demon's grim expression faltered. The little monk poked his head out from behind his companion, eyes wide.  
  
"I want the jewel back in the hands of its rightful owner." Shippo was only a few steps away. "The hands of the legendary priestess Kagome."  
  
Sasuke frowned.  
  
"I have no jewel," she said.  
  
"Please give it back." Shippo reached out and quick as a flash, grabbed her arm and held her to him. Their faces were inches apart.  
  
"You don't know what its capable of." He whispered.  
  
"You are a fool." She said. Then, "OH!" a small hand had just squeezed her breast, and then she caught sight of the little monk running away laughing.  
  
"Hahahah! Teaches you to mess with Shippo and Miroku!" Miroku called out. Shippo grinned, still holding her close. She smelled like strawberries, and her blue eyes cut through him. His shaggy red hair touched the crescent moon on her forehead.  
  
"I will hunt you." She whispered. "And I will get the jewel back."  
  
Shippo didn't waver his grin, but leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. His eyes never left hers, but when he finally pulled away, he let her go and watched as she stared at him disoriented.  
  
In a flash, she was gone.  
  
"Yay for us Shippo!" Miroku ran back to where Shippo was standing, waving the jewel around and laughing. "We sure tricked her! Sucker!" Shippo was annoyed and cuffed the monk on the back of the head.  
  
"Shut up and put that thing out of sight. She'll still track us, so we have to be careful. Besides, we're almost to where we need to be for some clues."  
  
Miroku moped around, but hid the jewel in his cloak, following the fox demon obediently.  
  
"Where do we need to go for clues?" Miroku asked.  
  
"To a village. Hopefully the flea Myoga will be there to give us some info. Now, I better tell you a little story."  
  
"Okay." Miroku brightened at the prospect of a story, walking alongside Shippo and looking up at him intently. None of the old monks ever told stories, or were so much fun to travel with. Shippo had saved him more than once, and was powerful and wise. Miroku decided that he would always be friends with this demon, no matter what his ideas of demons had been in the past.  
  
Shippo stared up at the clear skies, remembering, and sighed. There really wasn't a beginning to this story. That only made it so much more difficult to tell. But this boy needed to know, if he was to trust him at all.  
  
"A lot of things happened to me when I was young, younger than you even, that turned me into the demon I am today." He sounded like he was making a speech to a crowd of men in business suits, very nervous.  
  
"And some of them are happy and some are sad. I was actually a lot like you, orphaned, raised by friends, wanted revenge for my parent's death, stupid."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Heh, just kidding Miroku. Anyway, when I was young, I had some friends. I'll tell you about them some other time. But there was a huge battle in this village that we're going to, and it was burned to the ground. Almost all of the humans there died, it was so terrible.  
  
Well, the good guys ended up winning, but at a horrible price. It was really bad, but it included splitting the jewel. It's like a curse in itself, you know. Who ever has it is cursed with having to take care of it and guard it. They were trying to destroy it when it broke, but when we- they figured out that it couldn't be destroyed, we-they entrusted half of it to the priestess and half of it to a monk."  
  
Miroku looked at me sadly. "Was that monk my dad?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah." Shippo gave him some privacy and pretended not to see his eyes water.  
  
"Did you know him?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Yeah. He was noble."  
  
Miroku nodded. So now this jewel was his curse. He would bear it nobly like his father. Then another thought occurred to him.  
  
"Did you know my mother too?"  
  
"If I knew your dad at all, then yes. They loved each other in strange ways."  
  
Miroku wasn't surprised. From what he remembered, they were good people.  
  
Shippo was a bit uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how the kid would react to that, but he seemed ok. But then, Inu-yasha had always seemed alright too, no matter his pain.  
  
****  
  
Well? How is it so far? ^^ 


	4. What Love?

A/N Wow, thanks for all of the great reviews, I am very surprised that so many people like it, but glad. As for questions, Sesshomaru isn't necessarily bad, because you don't know the whole story right? He is the antagonist, or the opposite of the protagonist who is Shippo. Shippo isn't necessarily "good" either, because I am a strong believer in the many parts of a single character that show though in different situations. Thanks to: Starmoon, Eden, Aztec Dragon Demon, Kagome-chan, Okami, Psychokell, firecat, mistress pen, shippou1990 and tsunami-chan for the comments.  
  
Yes, and I finally chopped off my hair.the lady said it was five pounds worth.my head is so light! Anyway, I realized I forgot to put a disclaimer last chapter so:  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-yasha or any related things as such. Any Questions?  
  
Chapter 4: What love?  
  
"Father, I failed." Sasuke pulled herself together and faced Sesshomaru with a straight face. Hopefully he would be forgiving.  
  
"Yes, I see. A half demon is obviously no match for a full blooded little human boy and an immature little fox demon."  
  
Sasuke flinched, but didn't say anything. Sesshomaru would have struck her by now if he were going to at all. Obviously getting the jewel wasn't so important to him now.  
  
"I've thought of something now that I need you to do."  
  
"Yes father."  
  
"You must follow the pair to wherever it is they are going. I presume they are going to find my brother and his wife, the priestess. Go with them, help them find what they are looking for. When you are there, with Inu-yasha, kill the two boys and return here, luring my brother back. I must face him."  
  
"Yes father." Sasuke gritted her teeth. Sesshomaru wasn't so cool as he thought he was anymore, and had become lazy and fat. Since Jaken had died years ago, he had stopped really caring about anything but raising his children into fighting machines. Well, the ones he could find. Sasuke was the oldest and the only girl; the others were all very young, and all full demons.  
  
"Have you any other requirements of me?" she asked.  
  
"No. You are free to go, my daughter." He waved a hand, and Sasuke turned and exited his room quickly. When she was outside she took a breath, then shook her head, long pastel hair falling out of its sloppy ponytail. So she would have to kill the boys then. This was a test of her strength and durability, and her cold heart. They must not get through to her, either of them.  
  
Sasuke checked in on the nursery for a moment, say goodbye to the old nurse who had raised her since infantry, and seeing her brothers.  
  
"Oh, Sasuke, hello dear." The nurse was a kindly old lady, a friend to her mother, who volunteered to stay and take care of the baby. Now she had her hands full with the new additions to the family, two little twin infants, and two toddlers sat on the floor, playing like normal children. But that wasn't all of them. Sasuke knew of one other, unknown to their father, who lived in a village not far from where she had been born. She had almost brought him to stay with them in the castle, but decided against it when she confronted his adoptive human parents.  
  
"I am taking him to his real family." She had said. This was back when she was about fifteen years old, and was sent to find the other children abandoned by the demon mothers.  
  
"No, please. Don't take him from us. We love him." Those words had stopped her in her tracks. Love?  
  
Love? This baby brother of hers had Love? Who was she to take that away? After that she had stopped looking for her siblings. Maybe they also had love. She didn't, not from her father anyway, or her mother, who had abandoned her after birth to travel alone. Sasuke supposed that the nurse loved her, but it was a very private thing. Other than the nurse, it was likely that Sasuke was unlovable. She never had any friends or male admirers.  
  
Sasuke touched her lips thoughtfully. Shippo had kissed her. Could he love her? The demon girl shook herself back to reality and faced her only friend.  
  
"I'll be leaving soon, and I won't be back for a while." The nurse paused in her rocking of the twins and looked up at Sasuke sadly.  
  
"Another one of your father's wild missions?"  
  
"But of course!" Sasuke said, smiling. She leaned down and kissed the nurse on the cheek, then waved at her little brothers on the floor.  
  
"Come give your sister a kiss before I leave." She asked. They scrambled over one another and latched on to Sasuke. She was their favorite playmate.  
  
"Goodbye sister!" one of them said.  
  
"Bye-bye Sas-kay" the other echoed. She knelt down and looked them, fidgeting, in their golden eyes.  
  
She was quiet for a moment, contemplating, then she whispered something to them so that the nurse couldn't hear.  
  
"I have a secret to tell you that you can't tell anyone, okay?"  
  
They nodded gravely.  
  
"Okay. The secret is that I love you." She kissed them each on the cheek and they squirmed away, laughing and going back to their playing. Sasuke stood up and looked back at the nurse.  
  
"Take care of them," she said solemnly. The nurse smiled.  
  
"Of course dear. They behave much better than you ever did." Sasuke laughed, remembering her tantrums and screaming fits, then gave the nurse one last kiss on the cheek, and left.  
  
Her family behind her, she only needed to stop thinking of them and she would be fine. Fine, fine, fine, she told herself, sniffling. They were safe, so everything was fine.  
****  
  
"Shippo, this is boring. When are we gonna get to that village you told me about?" Miroku dragged his feet in the dirt as he walked, a few paces behind the fox demon, and stared at the ground.  
  
"Now." Miroku snapped his head up and glanced around eagerly, but was severely disappointed.  
  
"There's nothing here but a clearing and some fields! You said it was a village!"  
  
"It was a village. I told you that it was burned down in that huge battle. There was a well around here somewhere in the forest, but the location was hidden by a spell. I need to find this flea thing to see if he knows how to get past the spell."  
  
"Who put the spell on there?" Miroku asked. He wasn't quite following everything Shippo said, but if they needed to find a flea.might as well start looking.  
  
"Here flea-flea-flea-flea!" Miroku called. Shippo knocked him up the back of the head.  
  
"What are you stupid?" Shippo asked. "First you wave the jewel around and now you call a flea like lost cat?" Miroku rubbed his head, pouting. He thought it was a good idea.  
  
"Yes? Did someone call on me?" a little annoying voice called out from a rabbit nearby.  
  
"OH! A talking rabbit!" Miroku rushed over, only to be kicked in the behind by Shippo.  
  
"Myoga!" Shippo exclaimed.  
  
From the ground, Miroku could see a little speck jump from the rabbit to the shoulder of his fox demon companion. The rabbit fled in terror.  
  
"Wait rabbit! We need you!" Shippo grabbed the little monk by the back of his robe and stopped him short.  
  
"Yes, you are stupid. Look, this is the flea we were looking for. He was on the rabbit."  
  
"Oh." Miroku fell to the ground yet again when Shippo dropped him, but got up in a hurry when the flea began to talk to him from Shippo's shoulder.  
  
"Why, if you aren't Miroku's son, then I'm a fox demon!" the flea said.  
  
"I am Miroku II, son of Miroku, and noble monk." Miroku said proudly. The flea nodded his tiny bald head.  
  
"Yes, yes, very good. And I haven't seen you in years Shippo, why did you ever stop coming to visit your dear old friend Myoga?"  
  
"Dear old friend my tail you bloodsucking old freak." Shippo said. He wasn't surprised to find the flea as cowardly as ever. Some things were regular with reassuring certainty.  
  
"Tell us how to get past the spell on the well."  
  
Myoga turned pink in the face. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, master Shippo, it was a secret that the lovely priestess refused to tell even me."  
  
"Bull!" Shippo grabbed the flea in his fist and squeezed. "I know that she told you, because she told me that she did in case I ever needed to go see her!"  
  
Miroku looked on in awe.  
  
"Look Mister Flea, we have to see the priestess because we have something for her." He said.  
  
Myoga turned his head and pathetically nodded.  
  
"Release me and I'll tell you, kind master. Under one condition."  
  
Shippo narrowed his eyes, not giving up on his grip on the flea.  
  
"What condition?"  
  
"You must take me to the era of the priestess."  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh please, master. I must go see my friends. You know that."  
  
"No."  
  
"Pl-"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then I wont tell you."  
  
"Oh?" Shippo squeezed a little bit tighter and watched in satisfaction as the flea's face turned bluer and bluer.  
  
"Alright! Let-me-brea-the-" Myoga squeaked. Shippo loosened his grip and stared expectantly.  
  
"Well?" he asked. The flea sighed, but answered it was no use arguing with Shippo.  
  
"To get past the barrier, all you have to do is have a firm desire to do good in the time that you are going, but to pass through the well, you must have a shard of the jewel."  
  
"Like the spell on the cave to Midoriko's cave! No wonder you can't get through you blood sucker! Ha!" Shippo moved to toss the flea away, but then stopped, reconsidering.  
  
"Wait, we still don't know where the well is. I don't remember! Augh!" Shippo's mind was going in circles of confusion. The flea piped up again.  
  
"Well if you think I remember you're sadly mistaken! I'm too old for adventures now, my poor old brain, you had to let that nice fat juicy rabbit go, did you. Well then your confusion serves you right!" Shippo did throw the flea now, as far and hard as he could, and with his demon strength, it was pretty darn far.  
  
"Useless parasite." He muttered. Miroku laughed as Myoga's shriek died away, and wandered off a bit to explore the place where the village used to be. He, unlike Shippo, had never been there before, and wasn't plagued by memories. Shippo hadn't been back here at all since that day, and he really wasn't prepared. It was pretty, flowery, normal. Void of people or demons of any kind because of its legacy and what happened here twenty years ago.  
  
"Hey Shippo look at this!" Miroku called out from a hill a ways away. Shippo was standing on the very edge of the village, where he had thrown Myoga, and was sweating with nerves. One more step and he would be there again. One more step and he would be in the place. One more step.  
  
Shippo closed his eyes and remembered the horrors that his young mind had witnessed there, in that village, one step away.  
  
"AAAUUUUGHHH!" Miroku's scream cut through his thoughts, and the fox demon sped away without hesitation, violating the place where twenty years ago there had been a huge battle with thoughts of rescuing the boy.  
  
Within a moment he was at the scene of the attack, a flowery hill at the top of a long climb of crumbled steps, the steps to Kikyo's grave.  
  
"Miroku! Stand very still and don't move." Shippo ordered the young boy quietly. A halfway transparent demon in the shape of a woman had a dagger to the boy's throat, and with its other hand was reaching into his cloak for the jewel. It hadn't seen Shippo yet; its single focus was on the jewel.  
  
Shippo took advantage of that and plucked a leaf off of a nearby tree, chanting a spell quietly and placing the leaf on his forehead. Subtly, he began to disappear, until he was invisible and unscented.  
  
The demon looked as if it had found the jewel and was slowly, agonizingly slowly, pulling it out by its chain from under the monk's robe. Shippo crept up behind it and grabbed it in a headlock, freeing Miroku to run.  
  
The demon gagged, reaching behind it for the invisible thing that tried to hurt it. The leaf was knocked off of Shippo's head and he became visible.  
  
"Miroku, run!" he yelled, hanging on to the demon's neck with all his strength. It didn't seem to matter however, and in a moment, his arm went through the flesh and he fell to the ground with a thud.  
  
"You dare defile my grave?" the demon asked. Shippo's eyes widened.  
  
"Kaede." he said. But it didn't look like Kaede. This was a pretty young woman, eye patched, a priestess. She didn't acknowledge Shippo other than swinging her arm down in attempt to destroy him. Kaede would never do that.  
  
"FOXFIRE!" he yelled, green fire exploding from his clasped hands. He rolled over and dodged the arm; it shattered the stone beside him.  
  
"Lady Kaede its me, Shippo!" he realized too late that this was no demon, it was worse, a ghost.  
  
"You have no business here, demon. Leave at once and I will spare you." Kaede told him. Shippo crouched and eyed her.  
  
"I thought you went in peace, Kaede, why do you haunt this dreadful site?" Shippo was sad almost to tears that his dear friend was being kept from rest after life.  
  
"I died in chaos and destruction. I know no peace. I guard my grave, and the grave of my sister. Leave us be demon!" the ghost screamed in anger, then turned to see that Miroku, instead of running away, stood petrified against a tree a few steps away.  
  
"YOU WILL DIE!" she screamed, exerting a force towards where Miroku was standing.  
  
Shippo felt as if trapped in slow motion. Miroku was going to die so soon in their journey, and Shippo couldn't save him.  
  
****  
  
CLIFFHANGER BWAHAHAHAH (sorry, next chapter in a few days) Please tell me what you think ^^ 


	5. Sickness of the body and mind

Chapter 5 Sickness of the body and mind  
  
Shippo watched in agony as the young boy was engulfed in the destructive energy of the ghost of Kaede. No human could possibly live through something like that, no matter what kind of monkish powers may manifest.  
  
His friend would die without knowing the priestess, or any of his father's friends, or.anything of the adult world at all. The ghost of Kaede faded with her burst of destructive energy and Shippo's gut wrenched as he crawled over to Miroku's fallen figure.  
  
Short brown hair covered his closed eyes, dark hair, darker than his fathers, and almost black in the shade of the tree. He even had faint freckles on his cheeks like Sango's little brother, his uncle, Shippo thought sadly.  
  
"Shippo?" Miroku asked. He was a bit dizzy, but other than that, okay.  
  
"MIROKU!" Shippo answered, yelling with surprise and humility at his mistake. "How the hell did you manage to live through that?!" The little monk sat up and scratched his head, then pointed to the jewel.  
  
"I don't know, but I think- I think that the jewel saved me."  
  
"Hmm," Shippo contemplated. It was actually quite likely that the jewel, still instilled with Kagome's power, would have a warding affect on a thing like the ghost of Kaede. But the fact that Kaede was a ghost at all worried him senseless. If Kaede was still around, then Kikyo might still be around.  
  
"We need to get out of here now Miroku, come on." The demon helped the boy to his feet and warily escorted him all the way to the bottom of the crumbling steps until they were back out in the bright noontime sunlight.  
  
"Shippo did you know that lady? While she was a lady, I mean." Miroku's freckled cheeks were paler than normal but his eyes were bright with adventure and curiosity. Shippo nodded.  
  
"I did. She was a priestess also. It worries me that she still wanders the Earth. If I could lay her to rest, I would." He said.  
  
"I could." Miroku said quietly. Normally Shippo might have knocked him a good one, but now he just listened carefully.  
  
"I could use the jewel to purify and relax her spirit. I saw it when she attacked me, that the jewel was beginning to transform her, she was prettier, but she was scared." He didn't meet Shippo's eyes, but held the jewel tightly in one fist. "I have a feeling she knows where the well is hidden."  
  
"How did you-?" Shippo began, but stopped having to hurry after the young boy as he rushed back up the steps with renewed energy.  
  
"Demon." A soft voice called from behind him. Shippo turned and saw Sasuke standing at the bottom of the steps. How much had she heard?  
  
"I've thought over my actions and decided that I want to go with you, rather than aid my father." She blushed, not meeting his eyes.  
  
"You're lying." Shippo said flatly. He didn't have time for this now. Miroku was in danger. "I'll be back in a minute. If you're still here when I return.we'll see." With that, he turned on his heel and continued to race up the steps.  
  
****  
  
"Lady of this grave, I call you into being." Miroku had his gaze focused on the destroyed shrine that once housed the ashes of some honored priestess, perhaps many from the village that Shippo said had once existed here. There was a glimmer in the air, and a woman appeared in front of him.  
  
"You dare defile my grave?" the woman asked softly. She was young, beautiful, and dressed like a priestess, except a patch covered one of her eyes.  
  
"No, I am a friend, I want to honor your grave." The little boy pulled a flower from his robe that he had plucked on the way up the steps, and carefully set it on the pile of ruined stone that signified the old shrine.  
  
"Will you tell me what I need to know?" he asked. The ghost's face softened from its previous defensive look to one of sadness and longing. The jewel in Miroku's fist glowed pink, tiny rays bursting through his clenched fingers and dusting the ghost in warmth.  
  
"Yes. But you must tell me about you, and what has happened to you. The monk I knew was older, sly, grown-up."  
  
"Father." Miroku whispered. He was almost in a trance when Shippo appeared at the top of the steps and witnessed the scene. The ghost of Kaede, subdued from her earlier anger, was comforting the little monk.  
  
"Kaede." Shippo said. Miroku saw that in his hand was a flower, and that he had also plucked one on the way. If fell to the ground near the pile of stones and caught the attention of Kaede.  
  
"You have grown." The ghost left Miroku and grazed Shippo's cheek with a careful transparent hand.  
  
"Why do you wander here, Kaede." Shippo asked sternly.  
  
"The same reason that you do, little demon. I await rest. Until the things I set out to do are completed, I cannot move on. Neither can you."  
  
"Tell us where the well is." He refused to stray from the set objective.  
  
"The same place it always was. Is your memory that awful? Or did you, like so many of us, block it out. I am surprised you did not block me out as well."  
  
"I tried to." Shippo said, angry. "I did try."  
  
"Lady, if we promise to carry on for you, will you rest?" Miroku asked. He was still crouched by the grave, staring at the flowers.  
  
"No. I guard this resting place." She said sadly.  
  
"From what?" Shippo asked. "It remains but a spot of Earth, no matter the time or the era."  
  
"Ah, from me, and you. Memories, dear boy, memories. Remember and you will know what you will. That is how you will find the well. I cannot help you there, not a bit. Leave me to guard my spot of Earth for eternity, Leave me."  
  
"But-." Miroku began.  
  
"Leave me." She repeated, then, "Memories. Remember and you will know what you will." The jewel glowed brighter still in Miroku's trembling fist, and the ghost of Kaede faded, until both the glow of the jewel and the glow of the spirit were gone, spots dancing in the darkness of the boy's eyes.  
  
"Shippo, that means it is up to you. When we get back, then we can lay her to rest. But we have to find the priestess, and the well." Miroku stood, still staring at the two flowers, turned towards Shippo to begin climbing back down the steps. Shippo hung back, thinking over the things that Kaede had told him.  
  
****  
  
Shippo groaned when he got to the bottom of the steps. His legs were sore, and Sasuke was still waiting for him.  
  
"What were you doing up there?" Sasuke asked innocently. Shippo grunted and walked past her to where Miroku was sitting.  
  
"Excuse me!" She called after him. It was rude to ignore someone. "I've come to make peace with you."  
  
"More like you came to get another stab at robbing us."  
  
"But you saved me so I owe you. My life-word says that I am not an enemy." Sasuke was kind of telling the truth, since her father had ordered her to befriend them then betray them. She only felt a little bit like a filthy thief when she said that. But the boys were ignoring her. Whatever had happened up those steps wasn't something that they wanted to share with her. It might have to do with the priestess and the jewel.  
  
"Let me come with you. I am a good fighter, strong, independent."  
  
"A thief." Shippo looked over his shoulder at her from where he was feeling Miroku's forehead. It was hot, feverish, and his cheeks pale. Sasuke was silent.  
  
"My friend is ill. I have to take him somewhere safe." Shippo said at last. He stood up, hefted the young monk in his arms, and began walking away, back towards the path where they had come and met the flea.  
  
Sasuke followed. They would let her follow, they had to.  
  
"Let me carry him." She offered. Shippo shook his head.  
  
"You just want the jewel." He needed to get somewhere to help Miroku, away from Sasuke. He didn't trust her at all. And then. he had to test his memory, force himself to remember the things he wouldn't. Kaede's words echoed in his head  
  
'Remember and you would know what you will.' The only way to find the well was to remember it, and all the things that happened there.  
  
The path opened up into a dirt road, winding from the bottom of the hill to another soft, rolling one with only one tree atop it and a little stream nearby. There had used to be fields beyond, and a bridge across the stream, but they were both burned down during that last battle. The tree was still there, bright and healthy in that field of green flowers.  
  
Shippo set Miroku down next to the tree, feeling his forehead again and cursing. It was hot. What was one supposed to do for fever? Shippo rarely got sick himself, and was as good a healer as he was a seamstress. Okay for his own simple clothes, but fitting to someone else? Impossible.  
  
"You need a certain herb." Sasuke said from behind him. Shippo didn't even look back. He unwrapped the boy's robe a little to cool him.  
  
"And cool water. You know this place, is the stream any good?"  
  
Shippo continued to tend to Miroku as best he could, but was distracted by the possibility that Sasuke really did want to help them.  
  
"You must like me a little bit," she said. "Since you did kiss me. Perhaps you think I am pretty?" Sasuke pulled her blouse down a little.  
  
"If that's all you want then."  
  
"Stop. All I want is for my friend to get well so we can continue our blasted journey." He was angered that that was all she thought he wanted anyway. Distracted by a pretty face was all, and just for a moment.  
  
"Then let me help you!" the half demon threw her hands up in the air, breeze causing her pale hair to blow in her face. She brushed it aside impatiently.  
  
"I have many younger brothers that I mind, I could make your friend well in an instant!" She stopped, surprised at herself for telling more than was necessary.  
  
Shippo looked at her cautiously. Maybe, just maybe, this girl could be trusted.  
  
"Fine." He sat back, sighed, and let her see the patient. Sasuke knelt beside them, then felt Miroku's head.  
  
"He's warm, but not scathing. That's a good thing. Get a cloth and wet it from the stream, then come back here. I need a fire, some blankets, and a certain herb. Do you have a cup or something I can use to make the potion?"  
  
She shooed the fox demon off to do her bidding. Laying Miroku down so that he was stretched out flat.  
  
"Go to sleep," she said softly, Shippo hurried back with the cloth, torn off of his shirt, and Sasuke pressed it to Miroku's face, then eyes. Shippo started a fire, strange in the daylight, and handed her a cup from his pocket.  
  
"What about a blanket? We need to cover him up so that he can sweat it out." Shippo shrugged off his furry vest and tossed it to her.  
  
"Anything else?" he asked. It was uncomfortable the way she was examining him. She snapped out of it.  
  
"Yes, watch him and I'll find the herb. It's not uncommon."  
  
A few minutes later she was back, brewing the potion with some more stream water and stirring it with a stick from the tree. It was late afternoon, and the sun was almost to the horizon. Miroku was sweating heavily under the vest and near the fire, but Sasuke assured Shippo that that was a good thing.  
  
"Once this passes, he can rest, and in the morning he will be normal. Here's the potion." She handed it to Shippo, and he took a slow sip, testing for poison. Sensing none, he sat the monk up and forced him to drink the rest.  
  
Finally, Miroku was beginning to sleep more soundly and had thrown off the vest and robe. His temperature was normal also.  
  
"Thank you." Shippo said. If this was what it meant to be a parent.he hoped that he was never there. But there was a feeling of satisfaction that Miroku was safe and well again, that Shippo couldn't quite place other than friendly fondness of the boy. Sasuke sat near him, but away a bit, watching Miroku. Her heart wrenched in her chest. It was like taking care of her brothers all over again.  
  
"My father doesn't want the jewel anymore. He wants." she trailed off, not meeting Shippo's fierce green eyed gaze.  
  
"What?" Shippo asked. Sasuke looked up at him, afraid to say. Afraid of both herself, her father, and of Shippo.  
  
"I." she stopped, and they both knew that that was all she would say. There would be no more discussion about that for the night. The sun was still just peeking above the distant hills, lighting everything in a gloomy sort of half twilight, pink and blue.  
  
**** Author: Review please? What do you think so far? Good? Need work? Like? Sorry I took so long with this, I was finishing up one of my LOOOOONG Fushigi Yugi fics, but now it is over! Wow! More time for Shippo! 


	6. Memories

****  
  
Chapter 6: Memories  
It was close to midnight, and Shippo and Sasuke sat on either side of the fire, watching the sleeping and recovering Miroku. Neither spoke, but each was thinking.  
  
Shippo, about what the lady Kaede had said to him, Sasuke, about her family, her father, and Shippo.  
  
"So," Sasuke said, glancing over at Shippo. Miroku was sleeping soundly, a recovery sleep more than anything, and drugged partially by the herb potion that Sasuke had prepared to help him. He wouldn't be awake any time soon.  
  
"Do you wish for your payment now?" she asked. Shippo didn't even spare her a glance.  
  
"What payment?" he muttered. Stupid girl, she couldn't ever make sense. One minute she wanted to kill him, the next she wants him to pay her?  
  
"If you let me go with you on your journey, I will pay you in the only way I know how."  
  
"Oh? What could you possibly have that would be worth anything to me?" Sasuke flushed.  
  
"Money?"  
  
"I have enough."  
  
"Jewels, of the ordinary kind I mean,"  
  
"Can dig up or steal any of that that I would need."  
  
"Well then there is one other thing."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
Sasuke scooted around the fire until she was very close to him.  
  
"I have a fine body," she began, slipping her hand down to his and moving it towards her breast. "I would bear your child in payment, if you wish." She said. Shippo's eyes were like saucers, his joints frozen. All thoughts of her being a traitor slipped suspiciously from his mind, and all of his attention was on the female.  
  
"Ah, that's quite alright. I don't particularly want a kid just yet." He said, remembering.  
  
Sasuke sighed, and sat back, relieved.  
  
"Thank goodness." She said. Shippo stared.  
  
"What?? Thank goodness? Are you saying that I-" Sasuke interrupted him with a laugh, really laughing, like he had made some sort of great joke.  
  
"Its just-hahaha-just that-hahah-the way that you-hahaha (sorry) hahah-you said it like it was an insult." Her laughter died away at Shippo's serious expression.  
  
"I'm sorry Shippo, its just that you were so adamant about hating me, then you tried not to offend me as if I really had wanted to have a kid with you." Shippo glared.  
  
"I really thought you were that low as to offer me that." He said finally. Sasuke flashed him a fanged smile.  
  
"When you grow up the way I did." she began, then stopped quickly at his look of pity. "Don't even look at me like that Shippo, I held my own more than any half demon could. Just because." she trailed off again, but Shippo answered her this time.  
  
"Half demons. I knew one once, your father's half brother in fact, and he was a great person. The greatest, if possible. I admired him with all of my heart, and I still do. Don't even start about half demons, okay?"  
  
Sasuke stared, remembering her father's words. That was the brother he wanted to face again.  
  
"I wish I had known him." Sasuke said. Her grin was gone, and she traced the lines on her face absently. Shippo looked up, startled.  
  
"I never thought about that, that you bear blood relation to Inu-yasha. Weird, but you do remind me of him."  
  
"What was he like?" she asked.  
  
"Well, being a half demon, he had little dog ears on his head, they were furry and everyone like to bug him and touch them. Golden eyes, like yours, long pale hair, and claws."  
  
Sasuke giggled at this description, but was unsatisfied.  
  
"But what was he like as this great role model?" she asked.  
  
"Well," Shippo said, scratching his head, "I don't know about role model, but that was what he was to me. He always seemed grumpy and bitter, but really he was caring and kind. He always defended me and Kagome when there was danger, (I was just a little thing back then) and made sure all was well in the group. He had a sad past though."  
  
Sasuke listened intently. All of this was news to her that her father had never revealed, but now, more than anything, she wanted to see this hero.  
  
"I want to meet him." She told Shippo softly. He nodded. A niece of Inu- yasha couldn't be so bad a companion. He sighed.  
  
"Fine then, you can come with us." He relented, and was awarded with a smile from Sasuke. She was surprised that it had been so easy.  
  
"Thank you." She said.  
  
"Humph." Shippo leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. It had been a long day, and he was so tired.  
  
"See you in the morning?" he asked. Sasuke replied, but it was lost in the onset of sleep.  
  
Sasuke smiled again to herself and, after checking the monk once again for sleep and health, lay down to rest.  
  
****  
Morning came, and Miroku was all better. He proved this by marching around them in circles and singing some tune that he made up himself, not even a particularly creative tune, but he sang it while he marched, climbed up the tree, and followed Shippo around looking for more firewood. He only paused briefly to ask Sasuke what the deal was with her, welcome her, and be off again on his singing.  
  
Of course, they didn't really have anywhere to go until they found the well, so the pressure was mostly on Shippo.  
  
"Shippo, I thought you said you could remember!" Miroku whined, stopping his little song.  
  
"I'm trying!" Shippo snapped. He didn't mean to be so annoyed, but he was because he knew it was his problem that had them stuck.  
  
Remember and you would know what you will.Memories..  
  
****  
  
"Kagome," Shippo whined, crying. "I don't want you to leave me!" he was little, up to her knees, and she was tall and strong and beautiful, but about to leave forever, like dying!  
  
"Oh Shippo," Kagome knelt down and hugged him. "I don't want to leave you either." She looked tired and sad, and Shippo suddenly felt like he shouldn't make her worry so much.  
  
"I'll be okay Kagome, I am a strong demon!" he said. Just then Inu- yasha had to join the conversation.  
  
"Ya, sure, strong as a blade of grass!" he stood nearby the well, watching them both with a frown. "Hurry it up, I want to get going."  
  
Shippo ran over to him and clutched his leg. "I don't want you to leave either!" he said, almost crying again.  
  
"Feh," Inu-yasha muttered, but after a stern glare from Kagome, he knelt down and faced Shippo, annoyed. "You can take care of yourself, right?"  
  
Shippo nodded his head until he was almost dizzy. Inu-yasha grinned arrogantly, then stood up and tossed the little demon back to Kagome, who caught him in another great hug.  
  
"Shippo, when you are a strong, big demon, promise you'll come and visit me again, okay? There is something important you need to know too, Miroku and Sango will always be there to help you, and so will I. Because that's what friends are for."  
  
"I know Kagome, but I'm still sad." He said. "I'll miss you."  
  
"And I'll miss you too. And so will Inu-yasha." There was a slight muttered curse from the half demon, before they both turned away together and began climbing down the well. Inu-yasha held Kagome's hand and helped her, smiling in that special way only for Kagome, and the jewel, or half of it anyway, hung from Kagome's neck. They both waved to him one last time, and then they were gone, in another world, another time. Shippo knew that he was all alone.  
  
Soon Miroku and Sango would have their baby, and they would ignore him. Lady Kaede was dead, Kikyo banished, and Sesshomaru locked away in his castle somewhere. The village a few yards away was a burnt landscape, still blackened from the battle a few days ago. Shippo was afraid to leave the place by the well, but he was also afraid to walk across the battlefield. So he stayed there for three days, crying that he was alone, and then finally summoned the courage to leave.  
  
Kagome had told him that he must be a strong demon, and since she wasn't here to make sure of it, he would have to do it on his own.  
  
"I can do everything on my own!" Shippo said out loud. Then he turned and walked away from the well on the outskirts of the burnt village, and walked away to become a strong demon, just like Kagome had said. He never returned to that place again, until now.  
  
****  
  
"I know where it is." Shippo said slowly. It was a kind of revelation to himself, and outward sign that he had actually remembered one of the many painful memories.  
  
There were more, but never do more than you have to in order to achieve an end. Shippo was a firm believer in that.  
  
"Where?' Miroku asked eagerly. It was about time they got moving, the sun was already up and they were all just sitting around!  
  
"Well, I'm not certain but.I think it's that way." He motioned towards the fields, then stood up and smiled. "Yes, I'm sure of it."  
  
Sasuke and Miroku followed him down the hill away from the tree and across the stream, (they had to wade through the waist deep water) and through some other fields. Little yellow flowers like the ones that grew on the hill to Kikyo and Kaede's grave littered the landscape, and Miroku happily tromped through them. The sun rose and dried their clothes, and after about an hour of walking around, they reached the edge of the forest.  
  
"There should be a huge, ancient tree in here somewhere, then a little further, a clearing with a well. That is where we need to go. It is a portal to the other world." Sasuke and Miroku nodded, following him obediently into the dark forest.  
  
"Tell us about this tree that we are looking for," Sasuke asked.  
  
"Well, it was the tree that Inu-yasha was spelled to for fifty years. The priestess we are looking for was the reincarnation of the one who put him there, and unwittingly released him and bound him to serve her. He was tricked into being betrayed by an evil demon Naraku, the one that burned down the village."  
  
"Ooh!" Miroku said. "Was he a very powerful demon?"  
  
Shippo nodded. "Likely he was the one who killed your parents. There wasn't a way to really kill him for good, so he may be out and about, causing trouble. He'll be looking for that jewel Miroku, so look out for it. He must not get it, you hear?"  
  
Miroku nodded, eyes wide, and touched the jewel hidden in his robe. It was that powerful huh? And it was up to him to protect it, so he would.  
  
"I will, don't worry."  
  
"Sasuke, you must know some of this, from your father," Shippo asked her.  
  
"No," she answered coldly. "He never told me of this Inu-yasha person. But I am interested that he is a half demon like me. I would very much like to discuss things with him." She felt that if perhaps she could find this person, she might confide in him, and maybe he would accept her for who she was. She wanted to spill all of her troubles to someone, so why not this distant relative? If he was a wonderful as Shippo told her.  
  
"I'm sure he'd have some tips." Shippo said sarcastically. Sasuke ignored him.  
  
"Tips on what?" Miroku asked. He truly had no idea.  
  
"Your too young." Shippo answered, knowing full well that that insult was one of the most annoying ever, having experienced it himself many times. He just smirked.  
  
Miroku smacked him hard on the leg in vengeance, but before they could truly begin their brawl, Sasuke was between them.  
  
"Boys! Act your age! I feel like I'm babysitting my brothers!" Shippo scowled darkly at her, and Miroku stuck out his tongue at Shippo.  
  
"Haha serves you right!" he said.  
  
"Why you.!"  
  
They were all so caught up in their little fight that they almost missed the tree altogether. But fortunately, Shippo looked up in time and recognized it instantly.  
  
"This is it!" he said, awed. It was just as huge and great as he remembered.  
  
****  
  
Author: Well???? Please tell me what you think, I'm happy to answer questions (as long as I don't give away the ending!) Thanks! ^^ 


	7. Through the well

Chapter 7 Through the Well  
  
Author: So sorry about the long wait, I was uhh..grounded. Yep, that's right. I'm not allowed on the computer unless my parents aren't there to tell me so, and with all this homework, working for my confirmation requirements, and my green belt test..I'm swamped. But never fear, because nothing can stop me from writing Bwahahaha! And don't worry, this fic won't be incredibly long, but I will finish it. I'll try to get the next chapter up by like Monday if possible. Wanna know why I am grounded? Nah, Its too pathetic. Just enjoy the fic! I am! ^^  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or anything close to it, and I'm grounded.. I wonder if Kagome gets grounded..?  
"Now, the well is really close to this tree here, so we just have to look around." Shippo said.  
  
"Should we split up?" Sasuke offered. Shippo shook his head.  
  
"It shouldn't take long, it can't be far. We should stay together. Besides, there might be demons in this woods." Shippo grinned at Sasuke's angry expression, and then laughed when Miroku yelled out loud.  
  
"Demons!? HEY wait a minute.you are a demon!"  
  
"Right on kid," Shippo said, dodging a monk's fist. When he was a few steps ahead, he stuck out his tongue and sprinted away, Sasuke and Miroku hot on his trail.  
  
"Caught you!" Miroku yelled, tackling him roughly. Shippo pretended to go down, yelling as if in slow motion. Sasuke watched bent over and panting.  
  
"How is it that boys have so much energy?" she asked out loud. Miroku was quick to answer, from his place where he was pinned down under the fox demon.  
  
"Pretty girls give me energy!" he squeaked. Shippo knocked him upside the head (that seems to happen a lot) and they continued a tousle.  
  
"Besides, she isn't even pretty!" Shippo said. Now that was a flat out lie, but Shippo was eager for some sort of reaction.  
  
"You seemed to think I was pretty enough last night." She answered smoothly.  
  
"What happened last night?!" Miroku asked indignantly from Shippo's armpit.  
  
"A lot." said Shippo.  
  
"Nothing" said Sasuke at the very same time.  
  
"You like each other!" Miroku proclaimed loudly. "I'm a monk, I can marry you!"  
  
"You little freak!" Shippo pinned him to the ground again, then rolled over and jumped up, letting him free. Miroku dodged another attack and ran for it into a nearby clearing. Shippo and Sasuke followed at a much slower pace.  
  
"He's such a handful." Shippo muttered. Sasuke looked at him for a moment, then laughed.  
  
"You seem like he's your charge or something." She said.  
  
"He is. His parents were my friends." Sasuke nodded, but didn't say anything. Shippo was responsible for the young monk, and that was that. It didn't matter why, even to her, but she wanted to know more.  
  
"Hey! I found something!" Miroku called. Sasuke and Shippo looked at each other then ran to where the little monk was peering into a beat up, wooden well.  
  
"Well I'll be." Sasuke said. She was not one to believe stories of priestesses and things, but here it was just like Shippo had said.  
  
"This is it." Shippo darted forward.  
  
BAM  
  
A sort of a shimmering shield stopped him. Cursing, the fox demon approached more warily this time, rubbing his head.  
  
"Why won't it let me through?" he wondered aloud. It had let Miroku through, and he didn't even know what the future held in store. Maybe in his naivety the little monk didn't have enough angry energy to be stopped.  
  
"Miroku, don't go down there!" Shippo warned, watching as the young boy looked over into the well. Miroku looked back, disappointed.  
  
"It's dry at the bottom Shippo! What kind of a well is that?"  
  
"A magical one" he said grimly. Now to get through this barrier.He inhaled deeply and cleared his mind, thinking only of how much he missed Kagome and Inu-yasha.  
  
"Ow." He had walked right back into it. Sasuke looked at him curiously and joined Miroku at the edge of the well.  
  
"What the hell?!" Shippo yelled. How could it help that thieving bitch and not him!? Did it not like demons? Why would Kagome try and keep him out?  
  
"It is just a well, Shippo," Sasuke told him when she noticed the beads of sweat on his forehead. She couldn't sense any kind of magical barrier at all, and even if there was one, it hadn't stopped her. Maybe..Shippo was facing a barrier of his mind instead.? She walked back over to him, feet padding softly on the grass, Miroku watching in bored silence. He had hoped for something more exciting than a dried up old well.  
  
"Shippo," Sasuke said softly. The fox demon suddenly opened his green eyes widely and stared at her in shock.  
  
"No!" he said. "Get away!" In his mind, he saw Kagome again, and Inu- yasha. That comforting tone.  
  
"Father!" he called out, tears in his eyes. He knew he was dreaming, watching his father's death in his mind. Manten and Yaten laughed at his pitiful attempts of vengeance, laughed and laughed, and then he was awake, curled up beside Kagome and Sango again, safe between them.  
  
"Shippo," Kagome said softly. "You were calling for you father.are you alright?" Shippo nodded and wiped his tears, glancing up at Inu-yasha's scowl for comfort. They had avenged his father when he couldn't; they had protected him when his mother abandoned him. They helped him through the nightmares and the travels.  
  
"I'm fine Kagome," he managed to squeak. Kagome smiled and yawned, laying back down. Shippo spread himself out on her chest and stared at her as she sleepily addressed Inu-yasha.  
  
"You better not wake me up early." She said. Inu-yasha climbed back up the tree and ignored her. It was his way of agreeing. She fell asleep within moments, and the little fox demon, tired from crying, joined her.  
  
The flash of memory ended, and Shippo swore loudly, sitting up.  
  
"What happened?" he asked. Sasuke and Miroku looked at him warily, neither wanting to explain.  
  
"You fainted, and we dragged you over here."  
  
"I don't faint." He said flatly. Only weaklings fainted. Golden eyes pierced his gaze.  
  
"Well, you did." Miroku piped, dodging a punch from Shippo. Finally he noticed where they all were.  
  
"I made it past the barrier!" he said, jumping up and looking down the well. Dried Earth waited at the bottom, bits of grass littering the surface. His companions sweat-dropped, but didn't bother to correct him.  
  
Just like he had remembered, there were vines making a type of rope to the bottom, as if asking them to descend to their dark depths.  
  
"Well, shall we go?" Sasuke asked, impatient with Shippo's silence. Shippo nodded and, ignoring the vines, leapt to the bottom in one jump. Sasuke helped Miroku get a firm grip, following quickly. When they reached the bottom there was a hesitation, then a shimmering light, then darkness.  
  
"Are we there?" Sasuke whispered. She could sense Shippo's tense presence, and Miroku's fear near her.  
  
"Yes," Miroku said. He said it in a small, shaky voice. "Yes, we aren't in our world anymore!" He grabbed Shippo's hand, anxious. "But why is this world so dark?"  
  
"Because we're at the bottom of the well?" Shippo asked out loud. He was already feeling the walls for a way to climb out, and when he found some scratch marks, proceeded to scale the wall. (a/n: Oooh this reminds me of the ring! That movie scared me!)  
  
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked.  
  
"Getting out of the well. Come on." He didn't even spare her a green eyed glance, just continued up to the top, then, "Fox fire!" and the well was drenched in dreary light.  
  
Miroku climbed up after him, and Sasuke last. When they arrived at the top, the three looked around, disappointed.  
  
It was a well house. Who built houses around wells? Why did they shut up the one that led to their world? Shippo ran up the steps and opened the door to bright sunlight.  
  
Outside the well house was eerily the same as the clearing back home, but eerily different too. The trees were mostly the same, the grass, the hills, but there were steps now, leading up from the well house to a building.  
  
"That's Kagome's house." Shippo said definitely. He led the way, all the way up the stone steps to a pretty red painted door. Sasuke and Miroku followed warily.  
  
KNOCK KNOCK  
  
BARK BARK BARK  
  
"COMING!" A boy opened the door and stared at the three blank faces. "..Hello.?" He squinted at them for a moment, and then gasped.  
  
"You.You're a.! You're a demon!"  
  
Shippo nodded at the youth. He was a little younger than the amazed human boy, but only by a few years. The boy was tall, like Shippo, with short brown hair and brown eyes. The fox demon's sharpness led him to a conclusion.  
  
"You are Kagome's son?" he asked. The boy's eyebrows rose.  
  
"I'm who!?"  
  
"Kagome's son. She's a priestess."  
  
"I think you're mistaken. I'm Souta. The Kagome I know isn't a priestess either, and she isn't my mom, she's my sister. And did you by any chance come up here out of a well?"  
  
Shippo narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Sasuke, Miroku, lets leave.. Miroku.?" The fox demon looked back to find that his two companions were nowhere to be seen. "Miroku!!! Sasuke!!!" Those two happened to get lost at the worst possible times. Now was one of them. He turned on his heel and began to track them. No world was safe for a lone half demon girl and a young, gullible monk, especially one that Shippo was unfamiliar with. The boy called to him from the front door of his building.  
  
"I'll tell her you came by! What's your name?" Shippo glanced over his shoulder briefly, "I'm Shippo the fox demon!" And he was off, tracking the path of Sasuke and Miroku. They couldn't have gotten far in such a short conversation, could they?  
  
****  
  
RING RING  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey sis, you there?"  
  
"Yeah, hi Souta, what's up? You sound worried."  
  
"Yeah, well, some demons came by looking for you."  
  
"From the well?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so."  
  
"What did they look like?"  
  
"One looked like a little boy, one was a red haired guy, and the last one scared me.She looked.. like Inuyasha."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yep. And the one with red hair talked to me. He said his name was Shippo the Fox demon."  
  
"...."  
  
"You okay sis?"  
  
"Yeah. Where did you say they were? At the shrine?"  
  
"No, they left."  
  
"No!!"  
  
"What? Is that bad?"  
  
"I gotta find them! Souta, stay there in case they come back! I have to find them!"  
  
"Okay, sorry bout that sis."  
  
CLICK  
  
****  
Author: Comments welcome! ^_^ Thank you! Next chapter should be up by like Monday or so.this is Easter Weekend so things will be crazy at my house! 


	8. Little Demons

Chapter 8: Little demons  
  
Author's Note: Hello again, I barely made it on time this time! I'm getting a little lost in my plot so the next chapter may not be up until like next weekend or a little after, while I get it sorted out. And the question was brought up as to why I was grounded. Ah, that, yes. It is actually quite embarrassing to tell, but it had to do with my report card. I got a (GASP) 79 in pre-ap geometry. Sigh. My very first, and I really mean it, C ever. What sucks even more is that my brother is in my class and he got a 92! Yep, I'm dumb. And I am grounded. My dad was so pissed, he's thinking of not getting me a car!!! But he probably will. I've been 16 for almost six months! Anyway, enough about me and my pathetic (and I know it is pathetic!) problems. Hey, you guys asked! Here's Chapter 8.  
  
Shippo cursed, and then prayed a little prayer of forgiveness and one that insisted to himself that Sasuke and Miroku were close by, safe, and together.  
  
None of it was true.  
  
****  
  
Sasuke had, on the porch, looked behind her and saw a young boy who looked so much like her father she could only presume it was her brother. She dashed down the steps from the shrine without a word to anyone, it was more important than anything to protect her family.  
  
Makoto had been on his way to his uncle's house to drop of some more of grandpa's medicine (great grandpa), when a girl grabbed him from behind and picked him up. Normally it was easy to escape from anyone who did that to him, but this person was different, much stronger. He was only ten years old, but his demon heritage gave him some extra strength not usual to kids his age.  
  
"Let me go!" he yelled in a shrill voice. Sasuke turned him around, looking into big golden eyes. Makoto gasped. This girl was a demon!  
  
"HEEEEELLLP!" he yelled, but Sasuke covered his mouth.  
  
"Silence! I am your sister, and I won't tell father you are here, he mustn't know. Otherwise you may live with your family. Just tell me that you are happy and I will release you."  
  
The boy's eyes widened. He had short black hair, golden eyes, and slightly pointed ears. He smelled like a blood relative but something wasn't right.  
  
"Listen Demon, my dad knows I'm here, and if you try and attack me again I will bite you!" He growled and flashed his fangs. Sasuke ignored his comments and picked him up, tossing him over her shoulder easily. He protested, but Sasuke wouldn't be swayed. Shippo would certainly be able to tell her who this boy was, and whether or not he was related to this Inuyasha person they were looking for.  
  
"Boy, do you know who Inuyasha is?" They were walking down the street, quite a strange sight, heading in no particular direction. Sasuke thought that she was heading back to Shippo, but things were very confusing around this world. The boy answered her.  
  
"Inuyasha is my father! And if you don't put me down right now, then he will kill you with his big sword!" Sasuke stopped in her tracks.  
  
"You are his son?" She asked. The boy nodded angrily.  
  
"Of course! I'm the only boy in this whole town with a half demon father!"  
  
"Well then that changes things." Sasuke felt obliged to treat her uncle's son with respect, unlike the familiarity she felt towards her own siblings. "I am Inuyasha's brother's daughter. My name is Sasuke. I mistook you for one of my father's many lost children. I apologize."  
  
She set the boy down and surveyed him. Another sniff told her that he was indeed, only remotely demon, not even as much as she was. The boy glared at her.  
  
"I don't accept!" he charged into her head down and Sasuke, unprepared for this assault, got the wind knocked out of her.  
  
"You brat! Relative or not, you need to learn a lesson!" She grabbed him by his pointed ear, like she had so many times to her brothers, and gave it a good tug.  
  
Makoto squeaked in pain and surprise, beating at Sasuke with his fists, but he was no match for the bigger half demon. She had him in a headlock within seconds, and then flipped him elegantly and he was over her shoulder again.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" he asked. He was certain that she didn't mean him any true harm, but it was also clear that she was stronger than him and deserved respect.  
  
"You tell me, I'm lost."  
  
****  
  
Miroku, on the other hand, was still close by and had gone in exactly the opposite direction as Sasuke. He had slipped into the house out of pure curiosity, and now he couldn't find a way out. The door shut, and when he trotted off to find Shippo, he was gone. The man that they had been talking to had also disappeared, but he could hear a voice from another room and assumed that it was that man. Should he confront him?  
  
"Ah, mister?" he asked timidly.  
  
"Augh!" the man dropped the object that he had been holding. "Who are you?!"  
  
Miroku smiled and stood up straight, he had expected the stranger to be mad at him for being in his house, but was sincerely relieved that that was not the case.  
  
"My name is Miroku II and I am a noble monk!" The last part was said with authority, causing the man to grin.  
  
"Nice to meet you Miroku II. I'm Souta Higurashi, and I'm a human."  
  
"Just call me Miroku." He said, inviting himself to sit down at a wooden table in the middle of the room. Souta sat across from him.  
  
"Tell me Miroku, did you happen to come out of that well with that demon?" Souta didn't want to make the kid mad, but it was vital he get some info from him. Who knew what else could have crawled out after him?  
  
"Yes. Shippo and me and Sasuke came to find the priestess. I have something to give to her."  
  
"What might that be?" Souta asked. Miroku gave him a wary glare.  
  
"I don't know if I can tell you." He replied finally.  
  
"Well then maybe I can help you find this priestess." Souta sat back in his chair. The little monk was obviously after Kagome, but it was unclear as to his intentions. From experience, things that came out of the well could be very deceiving. That was why Souta still lived at the shrine. After his mother died, no one was there but grandpa, and things began to come out of the well that didn't belong in this time at all.  
  
"Ok." Miroku said. Souta sighed. This boy was too trusting to be evil. "Her name is Kagome and she is a great priestess. Shippo says that she was kind and caring, and Sasuke seems to think that she knows where her father's brother is. See, Sasuke is only a half demon (that seems to be a sore spot so you shouldn't say anything if you talk to her) and she has brothers and Shippo is a full demon and he used to know the priestess. I think he liked her, but I'm not sure. He never likes to talk about it, but then there was this ghost and she made me sick, but I heard Shippo and Sasuke talking and there was something about memories. And when Shippo remembered some big battle that was when he found the well and got past the barrier thing. And also, Shippo said that Kagome might be friends with my parents and that she might know what happened to them!"  
  
By the end of his speech, Miroku was standing up, practically shouting at Souta. The older boy nodded serenely. This little guy was the real thing, for sure.  
  
"You want to talk to the Kagome?" he asked, just to clarify.  
  
"Yes." Miroku said decidedly. He clutched the jewel under his robe and stilled a shaking hand. Their mission was almost over!  
  
"Ok then, I'll call her. She's probably on her way here anyway." Souta picked up the phone and dialed his sister's cell phone number. Miroku watched with interest, supposing that this was one of the magic things that came from this world. He was so absorbed in watching Souta on the telephone, he didn't even notice the old man sneaking up behind him.  
  
"DEMON BE-GONE!" The old man yelled, slapping a charm onto Miroku's back.  
  
"Waaaaaaauuugggghhh!!!" Miroku screamed in fright and toppled over the chair he had been sitting on, frantically trying to take off the charm. It didn't hurt him (he was a human after all), but at that point it could have been any kind of ward.  
  
He threw the charm at the old man and prepared to make a spell on him. His old foster monks had taught him a thing or two.  
  
But before his spell even got started Souta was between the old man and the kid, holding the phone against his ear with one hand and shutting up the old man with the other.  
  
"Yeah Kagome, get over here quick, grandpas going crazy and the little monk is fixing to tear down the house. Maybe you can figure out what's going on. Yeah. Ok, ten minutes? Sure. I think I can handle them for that long. See ya. Bye." He put the phone down and confronted his charges.  
  
"Ok you two, simmer down. Grandpa, this is Miroku II, he says he's friends with Kagome and Inuyasha. Mister Miroku, this is me and Kagome's Grandfather, Mr. Higurashi."  
  
Miroku gave the old man an arrogant frown. "Hello." The old man simply ignored him and went about his business, muttering something about kids these days.  
  
Souta sighed. The sooner Kagome gets here, the better, he thought.  
  
****  
  
Sasuke was ready to kill the little guy after just five minutes of carrying him around, but she didn't. He just wouldn't shut up about how soon his father was gonna come kick her butt, and how he would kill her if she harmed him in the least, or even if she made him any madder, and why didn't she just put him down right now and they could fight it out?  
  
Sasuke paused and sniffed the air. Faintly, she could smell the scent of a half demon. She wasn't dead sure yet though, but certainly she was heading in the right direction. The boy didn't seem to be worried about where they were going, but when they reached a house a few blocks from the shrine, he shut up.  
  
"You brought me home?!" he asked angrily. "I thought you were going to kidnap me!" Sasuke was indignant as she ascended the steps to the door.  
  
"I am simply returning you to your family, nothing more. And besides that, I need to tell your parent that you need an attitude adjustment." She said. Makoto's eyes widened, and he began to plead with her.  
  
"No, nonononono please don't, I don't need that really. Don't tell dad oh please." he asked  
  
The door opened to reveal a girl, about ten years old, like a carbon copy of Makoto. Her bright gold eyes widened at the sight of her brother across Sasuke's shoulder.  
  
"Mako-chan!" she said. Then, over her shoulder, "DAAAADDDD It's Mako- chan and a strange demon lady!!!" Quick as a flash, Inuyasha appeared behind his daughter growling protectively.  
  
Sasuke set Makoto down as a peace offering and bowed.  
  
"Honored Uncle." She said. The smell of this man was comfortingly similar to her own, what with the being half dog demon and half human. It was a combination rare to this Earth.  
  
"Who are you?" Inuyasha demanded, taking in her scent with a practiced sniff. His ears tweaked at her in puzzlement, and then he decided that she was not a threat.  
  
"I am Sasuke, Daughter of the powerful demon Sesshomaru. I was sent here to find my kin and to relate a message." So that was part lie. Sasuke practically trembled at the thought of telling this demon she planned on capture and deceit originally, even if she had changed her mind. Then she thought a quick thought, wondering if she could lure Inuyasha to her father by taking one of his precious human children away with her, then the thought was gone just as quickly, and Inuyasha was walking around her examining and smelling critically. The youngsters watched with interest from the safety of the doorway.  
  
"The stripes.the hair.the ears.you are his daughter." So it was decided. Sasuke examined her uncle. He looked like a weakling human, pale skinned and golden eyed. The only trace of demon in his appearance was unusual pale whitish hair and small pointed dog-ears, unlike Sasuke's own pointed demon ears. But Sasuke didn't mention this. After all, she didn't look so menacing at first either.  
  
Inuyasha nodded in satisfaction.  
  
"Come in. I see you've met Makoto and Makiko. They are my children, and the priestesses'."  
Author: Thanks for all the great input! Comments welcome! 


	9. Reunion

Chapter 9: Reunion  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own it, so don't even bother asking to buy it! ^^  
  
Author: Guess what happens in this chapter! I've had major writers block lately, and I totally apologize for the delay. I will try to resume my weekly updates, now that summer is finally here! Junior year here I come! Yahoo! Or actually, Oh CRAP! I am taking a ton of AP classes and it is going to totally suck. Oh well, might as well relax now! ^^  
  
Sasuke bowed and entered the house, eying the wide-eyed children warily. They backed away and avoided being near her.  
  
It was a nice house, clean, orderly as one can be with children. Inuyasha led Sasuke to a room, followed closely by the curious twins.  
  
"You must tell me why you came here." He called back to her, "But first I would like to get to know you." Inuyasha was treating her very kindly for a complete stranger, in fact, back in the day he might have slammed the door in her face. But he was older now, wiser. 'Tamed' as Kagome liked to call it.  
  
They all sat down at a table in the kitchen and the kids hurried to bid their father's orders for tea and snacks. Inuyasha settled down and surveyed the girl. She seemed restless and bit wary, hardened and unemotional. It was strictly assumption, but he could tell that things weren't all fine and dandy, and that she wasn't going to tell him the entire truth no matter what. Better be on his guard.  
  
"I am Sasuke, the daughter of Sesshomaru and a human slave, the oldest and only girl. I have many brothers, all younger, of demon and human blood. My father has a castle in a northern province, and he rules his land well. The people treat him like a king."  
  
"But what about you? How do they treat you?" Inuyasha prodded. Sasuke stiffened.  
  
"I am an abomination, a half breed child of a slave. The people hate me." Inuyasha narrowed his golden eyes sharply.  
  
"Is that so? I'm surprised to put up with that." He was trying to get her to admit something.  
  
"I am a trained warrior. Weak minded people like that do not bother me." Her fists clenched in her lap, but she refrained from any further sign of aggravation.  
  
"I see." Inuyasha said vaguely. "Who trained you?"  
  
"My father." Her teeth grinded, remembering the grueling exercises while her father grew fat and lazy. "He was once very skilled." Inuyasha nodded and sipped the tea. He had been skilled once also, and he still was. There were too many people who would like to hurt his family. He had to protect them.  
  
"And did you come here alone?" his eyes glinted. Sasuke resigned to tell the truth.  
  
"No. I came with a grown demon and a human child." She said. Inuyasha motioned for Makoto to come to him, then pulled the child onto his lap. Mako's eyes were wide in amazement at this strange new person, who had mysteriously abducted him.  
  
"What do you make of her?" Inuyasha asked the boy. Makiko hid behind her father and watched shyly.  
  
"I think she's mean, but she's stronger than me." Makoto said. Inuyasha laughed. Sasuke just watched quietly. Sasuke revealed nothing.  
  
"You are welcome in my home." Inuyasha informed his newfound kinsman. Sasuke jumped in surprise.  
  
"But.you don't even know me!?"  
  
"Oh, you'd be surprised."  
  
*****  
  
Kagome raced up the steps of her old home, panting for breath and knocking wildly on the door. Her ponytail was coming undone and her dress was wrinkled. Souta opened the door.  
  
"Kagome!" he said, relieved. The boy ushered his sister into the house and into the kitchen where Miroku sat across from grandpa, in some sort of a glaring contest. Kagome stopped short in the doorway, hand covering her open mouth, eyes wide.  
  
"Souta! That boy!" she whispered, staring. Miroku glanced up at her for a moment, then went back to glaring at grandpa. "He is.." Souta shooed the old man out of the kitchen, to his and Miroku's dismay, and turned the little monk's attention to Kagome.  
  
"This is the lady you were looking for," Souta told him. "Go on and introduce yourself."  
  
Miroku stood up and watched Kagome with a newfound awe. This was the person that Shippo had told them about! She was right here! He took a deep breath, blue eyes wide.  
  
"I am Miroku II, son of a noble monk, and I have come here with my friends Shippo and Sasuke to give you something."  
  
"Miroku..II?" Kagome said. How was this possible? Miroku looked indignant at her lack of enthusiasm of what he had come to give her. He fumbled through his robes, looking for the Shikon jewel, but to his surprise, it was nowhere to be found.  
  
"I had it." he said meekly, still searching. Shippo would kill him! Unless.Shippo had taken the jewel for safekeeping? Yes, that must be it.  
  
"Lady, Shippo has it now, but I assure you that it will get to you, one way or another." Kagome laughed.  
  
"Shippo!? He's here too?" She took Miroku into a huge hug, baffling both Souta and the monk.  
  
"Get offa me." Miroku muttered. Ladies weren't supposed to act like that!  
  
"Sorry." Kagome said. "But I was a friend of your dads I guess you could say. Provided that your father was Miroku the noble monk.?"  
  
Miroku puffed up his chest and smiled proudly. "Yes he was!" Kagome laughed.  
  
"Then let's find your friends, Its been so long since I've talked to Shippo.How is he?" She took Miroku's hand and walked with him to the door.  
  
"Oh, he's really nice. But he sometimes punches me when he's mad. And he stays at hotels for free usually too, but no one minds."  
  
Kagome motioned for Souta to come with them back to her house. Souta shrugged and followed his big sister obediently.  
  
****  
  
Shippo was more lost than a flea at the circus. He cursed and damned Miroku silently for wandering off, sniffing the air but not recognizing anything at all. People were beginning to stare too, as if demons were an uncommon site among them. That was always a sign of trouble, those funny looks. Sooner or later he would be questioned and probably thrown out. And a kid like Miroku, well, he had no experience with people. Shippo was worried about him more desperately than himself.  
  
"Excuse me sir," he ventured to ask a pedestrian, "Have you seen a young monk around here? He's short, brown hair, brown eyes, violet robe?"  
  
The man looked at Shippo in surprise and adjusted his glasses.  
  
"Ah, sorry. Haven't seen anyone like that." Shippo growled.  
  
"How about a girl named Kagome Higurashi?" he asked.  
  
"Oh! The Higurashis live over yonder, but the girl moved out, she doesn't live there it's just the boy and the grandfather now."  
  
Shippo turned rudely and stalked back towards the shrine the way he had come. Maybe, just maybe Miroku would wander back to the well. With the strange new smells around this world it would be impossible to track him.  
  
Just as he was rounding the corner to the shrine, a group of people descended the steps and headed in the opposite direction as him.  
  
"Miroku!" He shouted angrily. A little monk turned and waved.  
  
"Shippo! So that's where you wandered off to! Hello, I found the priestess!" He smiled and ran over to the fox demon, pointing behind him wildly.  
  
"Where have you been?! I was out here looking for you!"  
  
"You were?"  
  
"Yes! I thought you were lost or kidnapped or something. Stupid twerp!" Miroku rubbed his head and sighed.  
  
"Sorry." He muttered. Then he brightened and grabbed the demon's hand. "But look! It's the priestess!"  
  
Shippo glanced at the people behind the monk for the first time. The young man from before, and.  
  
"Kagome!" A young woman with dark hair and eyes, but still recognizable as the schoolgirl from his childhood stared at him curiously. She had changed some, gathering more curves with age, but it was her! Shippo was in a kind of trance. He shoved Miroku out of the way and faced her.  
  
She had shrunk too, the top of her head only reaching his chin.  
  
"You.grew!" Kagome said. Maybe that was it, and not her shrinking, he thought, and smiled, flashing fangs.  
  
"I never thought I'd see you again." He said.  
  
Kagome hugged him, laughing at seeing her little friend all grown up. He was so much.bigger! The Shippo that she remembered was doll sized and squeaky. This one was.a real demon. And so tall!  
  
Kagome let him go and smiled with tears in her eyes. "Oh wow! This is the best thing ever! You have to come to my house and see Inuyasha, and my kids.! Oh wow.I want to know everything about you!" She hooked arms with him.  
  
"Kids???" Was all Shippo could manage.  
  
*****  
  
Author: Wow that really sucked. I just got back from camp today, and I am sooo tired. But I thought I'd post for all of you patient people. Thanks for bearing with me. ^^ 


	10. Demon or Person?

Chapter 10: Demon or Person??

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or much of anything else. This computer isn't even mine ^^

Author: I would first like to give a huge apology to everyone who has been waiting for an update, I am so sorry! I just haven't been writing Inuyasha stuff lately. I think when the 13th graphic novel comes out, I will resume, but until then it's like blank. I have not however, abandoned this story or fanfiction.net. (I'm laboring over several Harry Potter fics at the moment!)  Thank you for being so patient with me, I feel so guilty! . 

            "Shippo, this is boring." Miroku had been sitting on the couch for the past two hours listening to Shippo and his friends chatter endlessly. At first he had tried to pay attention, but now it was just ridiculous. They were talking about the most boring things! Who cared what kind of problems Shippo had traumatically after his friends left him alone, orphaned in a demon stricken world? Who cared how many weeks the girl waited for her demon lover ask her to marry him. Who cared what monk—wait.

            "My dad???" he asked, suddenly sitting up to listen more intently. 

            "Yep, that rascal. We missed him at the wedding. We wanted him to be there." Kagome smiled at him lovingly. Miroku grumbled.

            "Well I'm bored. Is there any food?" Sasuke had been standing beside Shippo silently, but looked up hopefully at the prospect of something to eat. Inuyasha smiled.  

            "Of course there is. Makoto! Makiko!" 

            Two little kids came running down the stairs. The stopped and stared at the people shyly, golden eyes wide.  Small pointed ears peeked out from behind midnight black hair. 

            "Twins." Kagome commented for the guests. "Makoto and Makiko, our children."

            "We've met." Sasuke said dryly. Makoto gulped. 

            "Go get some food." Inuyasha ordered. Kagome swatted him. 

            "I told you to stop doing that. Now, Mako, Maki, come help me get something for our guests to eat." The kids nodded and followed their mother obediently. 

            Inuyasha just rolled his eyes.

            "You will stay the night, won't you?" Kagome asked, hopeful.  Shippo nodded. 

            "We still have more business to attend to, but it can wait till morning. I'm in no hurry to leave." He said. The fox demon was eager to catch up with his old friends, and get to know their small family. He always wanted a family. For a moment his mind flashed a vision of Miroku and Sasuke, but he ignored it determinedly. He had only known them for a few weeks. Sasuke was a traitor and Miroku was just a kid. A kid who needed to be taken care of, he thought. But he ignored that too. Thoughts were too much right now. He let himself be led to an extra bedroom up a set of stairs by a still chattering Kagome, settling Miroku in the bed and making a blanket ready for himself on the floor. Sasuke was downstairs on the couch. 

            "Thanks Kagome." He said. This hospitality was unfamiliar to someone so normally shunned by society. An outcast. No wonder people loved her so easily. She just smiled.

            "Always for a friend like you Shippo." She said, and then slipped away to her own room with her family. 

            Shippo didn't sleep for a long time. But when he did, listening to the soft snores of the young monk, it was quiet and peaceful.

****

            "I think he's a demon."

            "No, I think he's a person."

            "Demons are people stupid."

            "Not all of them." 

            Shippo listened to the two soft voices conversing without moving a muscle. He feigned sleep and continued to listen.

            "Mamma says he's a good guy."

            "So does dad." 

            "So why are you scared?"

            "I'm not! You are!"

            "No! Shut up." 

            "Raaaaaaaaghhhhhh!!!!"  Shippo leapt to his feet, scaring the kids out of their wits.

            "EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!"

            "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!"  The two children jumped and ran screaming from the room. Shippo burst into laughter and Miroku sat up in bed groggily.

            "Shippo, why'd you wake me…" he yawned and started to get dressed, Shippo still rolling with laughter on the floor.  "I had a good dream Shippo." Miroku said, smiling and staring off into space. His brown hair was mussed up and his robe was only halfway on, and Shippo was still giggling senselessly at his own idea of a great joke. "I dreamed that I had a family, and you and Sasuke were my family." 

            Shippo stopped laughing and glanced at the boy's almost hopeful expression.

            "No." he said. He didn't even think of shattered dreams for Miroku, he just spoke on the impossibility. "I don't ever want to be a part of anything as sappy as a family. Especially not one with you in it!"

            "Hey!" Miroku threw the pillow at him. "I was being nice! I told you my dream!" the boy pouted and made Shippo almost feel bad. If he weren't such a fierce demon he might have tried to rectify the situation. He did the opposite.

            "The only time I was a part of anything close to a family it ended up shredded to pieces. That ain't happening again. Families are for dopes who don't care about themselves."

            Miroku pondered for a moment. 

            "I thought that families were supposed to provide for each other and care about one another." 

            "Supposed to, yes. But believe me it never works out that way." 

            "What do you dream of Shippo?" Miroku asked so innocently, that Shippo was caught off guard. He stared at the pillow. 

            "I don't dream anymore." 

            Miroku blinked at him. "Not even when you sleep??" he asked. Shippo glared. 

            "When I dream at night I see death and gore and things that would make a kid like you cry. When I'm awake, it's just surviving. That's all there is. Now stop bugging me!" 

            Shippo jumped up, good mood destroyed, and stomped down the stairs to the kitchen. Kagome was bustling around making breakfast and drinking coffee. 

            "Good Morning!" she smiled at him.  Shippo growled.  

            "We have to leave today. This world makes me uncomfortable. Kagome, the reason we came is actually kind of serious. We came to deliver half of the Shikon jewel. Miroku passed it on to his son, and I think it actually belongs in your care. It somehow became impure through whatever killed Miroku and Sango, and I think you are the only one who can help." 

            "Oh…" Kagome's face fell. "I don't know about this…Show me the jewel and I'll see what I can do. But I'm not promising anything." Kagome stood face to face with her old friend. "Shippo, I know it's been hard for you. But you are a strong, kind boy."

            "I'm a demon." He muttered.

            "You are a person." She said sternly, causing Shippo to blush. Then she smiled. "Not just anyone would take the company of a half demon and a little orphaned boy. You and I are a special breed of people. It takes a certain kind of heart." 

            Shippo gawked for a moment. He never thought…. what he was doing was just what Kagome did. He is to Miroku as Kagome was to him…he is to Sasuke as Kagome was to Inuyasha…

            "You left me. I was all alone Kagome. I had no one. I was an orphan. You and Inuyasha and Sango and Miroku all left me to fend for myself. You all left me alone."

            Kagome stared at Shippo in surprise. 

            "They left you?" she asked. The fox demon turned away from her. 

            "Yes." 

            "Sango and Miroku would never—"

            "—Well they did. And you were gone and I was alone."

            "And you still care for their son…" Kagome's eyes filled with tears. "That is so sweet! Shippo I had no idea!" she wrapped her arms around him like he was still only two feet tall and squeezed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." 

            "Yeah yeah." Shippo blushed and pushed the woman away from him. It wasn't like it was her fault. For that matter, it wasn't Miroku's fault that his parents left him, were killed, and left the Shikon jewel in their baby son's care. The fierce demon felt a little bit bad. He had grown to like the kid a little too. Maybe this time he wouldn't make the mistake that other people had made on his own-orphaned self. Maybe now he would take a persons life a little more seriously. 

            "You turned out great anyway Shippo." Said quietly, going back to making breakfast. A quiet moment later, the others joined them in the kitchen. 

*********

Author: Questions and comments are welcome. (Please don't be mad at me… .)


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